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3 and 4 Year Old Classes - Learning about Colour

Colour is everywhere. Even if not expressing it, when children look out a window they notice all the colours they possibly can. Recognizing their colours helps them learn to categorize the world around them.
 
Our Preschoolers experimented in class and learnt about colours using different mediums. They poured, stirred, squirted, glued, manipulated and splashed!
 
Children learnt about shading and hues using little more than tissue paper, cooking oil and wax paper. They further explored comparing the various shades on colour palettes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The preschoolers were asked what their thoughts were when shown a specific colour. Some
of the responses were:
 

Red

  • Cade :“I think of strawberries. Mmmm, I love strawberries.” 
  • Kris: “Red is a red fire.” 
  • Chelsea: “Red makes purple. I mean red and blue make purple.”

Blue

  • Ava: “The blue is the colour of Ryleigh's eyes.”
  • Lily: “Blue makes me think of blue whales, the moon also, and the sky.”
  • Mia: “Blue is the rain I think. Is it blue? I think so.”

Green

  • Chelsea: “Frogs are green and snakes in the grass are green.”
  • Lily: “I think of the trees and leaves and a green caterpillar.”

Yellow

  • Emma: “A yellow sun is for the beach.”

Purple

  • Chelsea: “Eggplant is purple. That's all I think. Oh, wait... my shirt is purple.”

Orange

  • Lily: “Carrots are orange.”
  • Emma: “An orange is what you eat.”
  • Kai: “Fishy Crackers”
  • Matthew: “Yeah, Fishy Crackers”

While manipulating liquid paint in a sealed ziplock, the children explored the primary colours. They were excited to note that blending red, yellow and blue creates orange, green and purple.
 
 
 
The children were intrigued when they mixed the primary colours by simply squirting food colouring onto paper towels. Much time was spent at this table. The children excitedly shared when the colours seeped together, and a new colour was created. “I made green, I made orange, red and blue made purple...” The end result was a vibrant display of bursting colour.
 
 
 
 
 
Taylor, Sophia and Claire helped in preparing the table for the above activity, displaying much patience, and the ability to work cooperatively together.
 
 
 
Colour layering was created using water and food colouring, oil and corn syrup. The children poured, mixed and mixed some more, each time intently watching the colours settle back into layers.
 
 
 
 
When allowed to experiment and explore, children become increasingly curious. The world around them expands and many basic concepts are ultimately learnt and skills developed, resulting in a naturally beautiful consequence.
 
~Barbi
 

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